President Obama / Susan Walsh, AP

by David Jackson, USA TODAY

by David Jackson, USA TODAY

"In my life, writing has been an important exercise to clarify what I believe, what I see, what I care about, what my deepest values are," Obama told Time magazine.

In an interview connected to his designation as Time's "Person of the Year," Obama said that "the process of converting a jumble of thoughts into coherent sentences makes you ask tougher questions."

Obama also referenced one of his heroes, Abraham Lincoln.

"Probably part of the reason he's my favorite President is he's also one of the best writers in American history," Obama said. "But you see the power of his writing evolve and shape what his policies are."

He also said of Lincoln: "He has to work through things. How does he think about slavery? How does he think about union? How does he think about the Constitution? How does he think about the role of popular opinion? All these things are just completely formed at the start of his political career."